Twice a year Telsey Advisory Group, one of the nation’s most respected retail analysis firms, takes their institutional investor clients shopping. The trips are designed to showcase the hottest retail centers, and best investment opportunities, in the country. This past holiday season, the retail tour included — for the first time — a stop at Tysons Corner Center.
“[We] put that on the map as a new destination for us,” said Vera Van Ert, an analyst with the New York-based firm. “Because of the variety and the number of concept [stores] in there … I think it’s on a lot of people’s radar screens.”
Telsey’s Tysons Corner trip illustrates what many retailers have known for quite some time. The mall, located in one of the nation’s richest counties, is the place to introduce your brand to U.S. consumers.
A number of retailers have debuted their stores at Tysons Corner, a reflection of the county’s affluent consumer base.
“It’s clearly one of the strongest markets on the East Coast,” said Arnie Cohen, chief marketing officer for Martin + Osa. The store, which is owned by parent company and Tysons tenant American Eagle Outfitters, debuted at Tysons in September. “It draws our demographic … and [sales in Tysons] would be a strong indicator of the potential for us to grow as a brand.”
Other stores that chose Tysons for their debut include Cusp from Neiman Marcus and MNG by MANGO, a store out of Barcelona. There is currently a waiting list for stores wanting a Tysons Corner location. Karen Millen, a clothing retailer out of England, also recently opened across the street at Tysons Galleria.
“Tysons Corner is the flagship mall for the entire region,” said David Dochter, a director with Cushman Wakefield, a global real estate firm with clients in the Washington region. “A lot of retailers that we work with, when they’re first coming into the market they want to do Tysons first.”
